How to Gamify Music Practice (and Keep Kids Motivated!)
Check out these ideas for different activities and resources that gamify music practice and make it much more playful and practical. Having fun during practice by playing literal games definitely makes kids more likely to spend more time practicing!
Why Gamify Music Education?
More and more teachers have been using games in music education to help reinforce learning different concepts. From board games to apps, there are lots of options to choose from! Here are some of the reasons to gamify music education:
Music Games are Engaging
Learning (and practicing) music requires a lot of repetition. Variety is essential to keeping students engaged when talking about note values or landmark notes for the one-thousandth time! Games are great for exploring theory topics and music activities in a new and interesting format.
Music Games are Effective
Using a music game or app is also a really effective way for students to consolidate their learning. Understanding theory concepts as part of a game makes it easy to transfer this knowledge to actual music, and there are games that help build skills for sight reading, ear training, and technique.
Gamifying music education also helps to provide students with a richer learning environment, especially when a range of visual, audial, and kinesthetic elements are incorporated through multimedia and physical activities.
Music Games are Enjoyable
Having fun is the reason people play games, right? So adding games to music lessons and music practice is definitely going to make them more enjoyable!
Resources to Gamify Music Practice
If gamifying practice sounds like a genius idea, here are a few different types of resources to try:
Dice Games
There are lots of different ways that dice can be used to gamify music practice:
- Choose a section then roll the dice to see how many repetitions to complete
- Roll a pair of dice to choose the starting point of a piece
- Use an activity like Lucky Dice Practice to choose the next practice activity
- Or a combination of the above!
Another bonus of dice activities is that it’s really easy to get started. Most students will have dice at home, plus there’s also websites with free random number generators or virtual dice that can be used instead.
Card Games
With a pack of practice cards students will always have ideas for fun (and effective) practice tasks. Practice Tricks Pack from the Playful Piano has some great information about how to practice, and for specific suggestions on what to practice check out Pick & Mix (part of Practice Power-Up) or Playful Practice and Pensive Practice from Colourful Keys.
Bingo Games
For a simple way to gamify music practice, There are lots of music practice bingo games available, here are a few options:
- Free Music Bingo from Ed Kids Home
- Tech-Free Music Bingo from Ms Haggerty’s Music Notes
- Piano Practice Bingo from Very Piano
- Piano Practice Bingo Cards from The Joyful Music Teacher
- Violin Practice Bingo from Izzy Notes & Knots
Board Games
Although theory board games can be a good addition to music practice time, board games that have been created especially for practice are even better! In Practice Plunder and Practice Pursuit the focus is on students doing practice activities related to their current pieces and scales. Every turn they roll the dice, move their counter, then pick a corresponding card which has a specific task to complete.
Some of the types of activities include:
- Repeating sections in different ways
- Playing from memory
- Experimenting with dynamics
- Playing with your eyes closed
- Using the metronome
- Experimenting with articulation
How to Gamify Music Practice in Lessons
Learning how to practice is an essential skill for all musicians to learn, which is why it’s a good idea to dedicate some lesson time to practice every now and then. Showing students how to strategically work through practice tasks is super helpful, and including some fun practice activities is even better!
Missed Practice
Even the most dedicated student will have a no practice week every now and then. Playing a practice game can be the perfect solution to this problem! It’s a great way to review material while still making progress, and helps to keep things positive.
Practice Labs
Using one-player board games (like Practice Plunder and Practice Pursuit) keeps students engaged during independent practice time. Other activities that involve randomly selecting practice tasks is another fun way to structure a practice lab.
Read More: Fun Activities for Music Practice Labs
Special Events
Having a game based lesson can be a great way to celebrate a special event, like a student birthday/upcoming holiday/end of the semester. They’re also a great resource to use when preparing for an upcoming performance.
How to Gamify Music Practice at Home
When students’ have access to practice games at home, it makes it much more likely that they’ll work on material in between lessons. Here are a couple of ideas for ways to access practice games at home:
Student Copies
Welcome Pack
A practice game or activity is a great addition to a Welcome Pack for new students. I include a copy of Lucky Dice Practice for new students in my studio. It’s an easy and fun activity that students can do at home, and a great way to encourage practice from the first lesson.
Reward
Another option for giving students a copy of a practice resource is to have it available as a reward. This could be tied in to a current incentive programme, or given to students once they achieve a certain practice or musical goal.
Lending Library
If providing every student with a copy of every practice game and activity sounds time consuming/expensive/unsustainable, then creating a Practice Lending Library is the answer!
Read More: Creating a Practice Lending Library for Students
Music Apps
If using a physical copy of a practice game isn’t an option, there are plenty of music apps available. Check out the links below for some of the best options for iPad:
Read More: The Best Note Reading Apps and The Best Rhythm Apps
Key Takeaways
Gamifying music practice is such a fun way to make students feel motivated to practice, whether at home or during practice labs.
Dice games, card games, and board games that are designed for music practice include:
These practice resources can be used in a Practice Lending Library, as a reward for students, for a special lesson, or to prepare for an upcoming performance.
